Indian news round-up

The general secretary of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), Syed Ashraful Huq has revealed that Bangladesh has agreed in principle to play a reciprocal Test series with Pakistan in case India refuse to tour Pakistan in December.

India Abroad News Service (IANS) reported that Huq on his return from Sharjah after the Asian Cricket Foundation (ACF) meeting said that he was still hopeful of India touring Pakistan. But in case that tour did not take place, Bangladesh would take on Pakistan for a four Test series and six ODI's.

Elaborating on the proposed tour, Huq said that Bangladesh would play hosts to Pakistan for three Tests and three ODI's in January next year and then Bangladesh would reciprocate by playing the remaining three Tests and three ODI's in Pakistan.

The Times of India reported that the former Union Minister KP Singh Deo on Saturday inaugurated new turf pitches at the Yamuna Sports Complex for the trainees attached to the Dronacharya Cricket Academy in New Delhi.

The newspaper also reported that the Delhi & District Cricket Association secretary Sunil Dev was present on the occasion. Apart from the new pitches, floodlights have also been installed for the first time. The Dronacharya Cricket Academy is being run by Dronacharya awardee Gurcharan Singh and former Indian Test spinner Maninder Singh.

Indian captain Sourav Ganguly managed only a single as Lancashire scored a massive innings and 109 run win over Somerset in the PPP Healthcare County Championship Division One match at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Put into bat, Somerset in their first innings were bundled out for 132. In reply Lancashire, ran up a massive 463 for nine with centuries from Graham Lloyd (126) and stumper Warren Hegg (128). Ganguly, who entered at the fall of Chilton's wicket lasted only 12 balls before he was caught by Jamie Cox off Ian Blackwell. Somerset in their second innings were bowled out for 222.

In another match at the St Lawrence ground in Canterbury, Dravid failed to lift Kent and suffered a 32-run defeat at the hands of Yorkshire. Dravid scored two runs off 14 balls as the top order collapsed before captain Mathew Fleming (42) and Martin McCague (72) tried their best to rescue Kent but to no avail.